BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Lists, stories, and features celebrating Black History Month.

From left: Bessie Coleman, Shirley Chisholm, Dr. Lonnie Johnson.

25 Unheralded Black American Pioneers and Trailblazers You Should Know

You may not have heard of these groundbreaking Black innovators and creators in fields from science to comics.

Jesse Owens (right) smokes competitors in the 200-meter sprint at the Berlin Summer Games, setting a new Olympic record.

12 Fascinating Facts About Jesse Owens

Owens’s triumph at the 1936 Summer Olympics defied racist ideology and inspired generations of athletes.

Maya Angelou celebrating her 82nd birthday

10 Facts About Maya Angelou

Dr. Maya Angelou’s verses are at the very heart of the American experience—yet she didn’t start out as a poet.

10 Fascinating Facts About W.E.B. Du Bois

W.E.B. Du Bois co-founded the NAACP—and was a victim of McCarthyism.

African American English derives from a historical past of contact between multiple language speakers. It varies across age, ethnicity, class, and gender. There is more than one AAE.

10 Things To Know About African American Language

African descendants in the U.S. have been speaking varieties of English, today known as African American Language (AAL), for many centuries. Here's what you should know.

9 Surprising Facts About Harriet Tubman

From enslaved woman to Underground Railroad guide and Civil War spy, Harriet Tubman led a remarkable life.

12 Fascinating Facts About Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison has written some of literature’s most enduring classics, from 'The Bluest Eye' to 'Beloved' and beyond. Here's what you need to know about the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

Background: iStock. Book Covers for "Invisible Man" and "The Underground Railroad": Amazon. Book Cover for "The Hate U Give": HARPERCOLLINS.

25 Amazing Books by African American Writers You Need to Read

From literary icons to fresh, buzzworthy talent, here are 25 great books by African American authors you should add to your reading list today.

Rediscovering Edmonia Lewis, Pioneering Sculptor of Cleopatra and Christ

Edmonia Lewis shaped her own identity in clay and marble, becoming one of the most renowned sculptors of the 19th century.

An illustration depicting fugitives along the Underground Railroad in Maryland, taken from William Still's 1872 book The Underground Railroad.

9 Unsung Heroes of the Underground Railroad

You already know Harriet Tubman—here are nine other heroes who smuggled fugitives to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

Benjamin Banneker: Almanac publisher and surveyor of our nation's capital.

Benjamin Banneker, the Black Mathematician Who May Have Saved Washington, D.C.

The U.S. capital might have been a very different place if not for the surveying work of Benjamin Banneker.